Alteration of the Erythrocyte’s Resistance in Rats with Experimental Diabetes

Abstract

In chronic hyperglycemia conditions, the structural-functional changes in erythrocytes develop - change the most important abilities of erythrocytes, deformability, and rigidity. These alterations must have a major impact on blood rheology and therefore play the important role in diabetic complications. The aim of the present study was to investigate deformability and osmotic resistance of erythrocytes at different stages of experimental alloxan-induced diabetes. Diabetes in Wistar rats was induced by a single intraperitoneally injection of 12% aqueous alloxan solution (at a dose of 200 mg/kg). The rats with blood glucose levels above 250 mg/dl on the 2d day after alloxan administration were included in the study. The erythrocytes resistance (deformability and osmotic resistance) and oxidative stress intensity according to the lipid peroxidation product, malondialdehyde (MDA), content in blood plasma were determined after 1,  3, 5, 15, and 30 days of alloxan administration. Study results show that osmotic resistance of diabetic erythrocytes was significantly reduced (namely hemolysis rate increased and the spherulisation time decreased) compared to the norm. The intensification of erythrocytes hemolysis coincided in time with the maximal level of glucose and MD in the animals' blood, which indicates, that dysfunction of membrane pumps and disturbance in osmotic balance in erythrocytes develop with the participation of both mechanisms, glycation oxidation of membrane proteins. Changes in erythrocyte deformability develop later, after 5-15 days from the beginning of the observation, which indicates the involvement in this process of other later mechanisms, including further irreversible modification of membrane and cytoplasmic proteins. For the establishment of the molecular basis of these mechanisms and ways of their correction the further studies are needed.